The Velvet Hammer

The Velvet Hammer Episode 20: In the season 1 finale we invite our special guest from California to join us during her first-ever vacation to Buenos Aires. How did she like it? Did she feel safe? How does she feel about her children living there? Find out in our discussion as we recount stories from her visit. In the good news, an LA zoo sea otter is moving to Argentina to help repopulate the endangered population in the country. We gripe yet again about the US elections, and wonder how democratic private debates really are. There’s jokes about road rage in the US, and Mom joins in–luckily, she’s calmer than us. Yield! On the topic of vacation, we speak about learning Spanish, and get pretty rowdy over the accents, joking about the difference between US and UK English. We close with some final thoughts about Mom’s vacation and where we see the country going in the next few years, and there goes season 1. Thank you all for listening and we can’t wait for you to join us for a revamped and reinvigorated season 2 coming soon! Coming every Thursday, this is The Velvet Hammer with your hosts, Jonny, Tom, & Tadeo, three American expats recording from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Brought to you by One Eleven Entertainment.

The Velvet Hammer Episode 19: Welcome to our second to last episode of season 1! We start looking at inflation in Argentina slowly decreasing (despite still being highest in the world) while the government began circulation of new 10,000 peso bills. We jump to immigration around the world, with New York State spending record amounts on migrants while the UK has made a deal to deport people to Rwanda. From there, we review the US elections again, wondering how Trump’s trial will turn out and how the candidates will fare with the first scheduled private debate. Back to local news, we cover a train collision in Buenos Aires that hopefully didn’t compromise the bridge it occurred on, and that terrible news of a hate crime against the Argentine LGBT community. Then, a story of a woman scorned, but wealthy enough to build the largest reinforced concrete building at the time as means to exact her revenge. While on buildings, we cover the holdout houses in the country, gentrification, urban renewal, and finally close on some random seafood talk. Remember to join us next week for the season finale of The Velvet Hammer! Coming every Thursday, this is The Velvet Hammer with your hosts, Jonny, Tom, & Tadeo, three American expats recording from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Brought to you by One Eleven Entertainment.

The Velvet Hammer Episode 18: Strike! Strike! Strike! A national protest was called during this episode, with most public transport, trash collection, hospitals, and more being shut down to bring awareness to Argentina’s economy. We begin with that before moving getting into national news as the economic output of the country hits pandemic-level lows and grocery spending massively contracts. As we fend off yet another mosquito boom, we chat about US elections and the candidates. That curiously segues to drag-queen culture and how to properly “tuck”, causing much hilarity and discomfort. We attempt to understand Bitcoin amid news that an Argentine company has decided to start a miner powered by waste stranded gas. With Copa America coming, the security minister sent a list of violent football fans to the US, causing us to share a story of an incident involving such a group. We end with science as Tadeo explains what happens as alcohol breaks down in your body, concluding with our predictions, one which includes…bed bugs! Coming every Thursday, this is The Velvet Hammer with your hosts, Jonny, Tom, & Tadeo, three American expats recording from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Brought to you by One Eleven Entertainment.

The Velvet Hammer Episode 17: Our wildest episode yet! You’ll want to stay to the end for this one! As Argentinian Labor Day passes, we mourn the end of summer and the gorgeous weather while celebrating a hopeful end to the mosquitos. Covering a bit of word news, we have apple orchards being chopped down by Heineken and some angry environmentalists. Then the shock of Tesla’s supercharger team being fired in one fell swoop – what did they do wrong? We share some tornado stories as twister season befalls the US before launching into our deeper discussion of music. Does vinyl sound better than cd? Tom helps explain the difference. From there a quick segue to suburban nightlife rowdiness in California and anecdotes about Firestone tires. With eggnog season approaching, we ask about the difference between brown liquors and Tom helps us clarify what they are; which leads to a complete loss of control as we share yet more lively anecdotes that leave us stitched sideways with laughter at the close. Coming every Thursday, this is The Velvet Hammer with your hosts, Jonny, Tom, & Tadeo, three American expats recording from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Brought to you by One Eleven Entertainment.

The Velvet Hammer Episode 16: This week gets off to a worrying start when we realized that most of our bottled water is straight from the tap. And the plastic is getting not just in the fish but our bodies as well. That leads us to wonder how much radiation is in our environment and even what’s in the chemical waste they use for fracking. Somehow we begin to wonder whether we’re living in a simulation and if there were parallel simulations, whether there’d be fermented things…like beers? Of course, we have our US news with TikTok being forced to sell. Bernie Sanders says congress is breaking the law – we entertain the idea that our constitution should have rules preventing our congress from being unlawful. Returning to Argentine happenings, as the University of Buenos Aires loses its funding, one of the largest protests since the new presidential administration descended on the capital in fury about students not being able to continue their educations. Meanwhile, the government maintained it’s fiscal and trade surplus for an entire quarter, so Milei’s seeming not to care… Coming every Thursday, this is The Velvet Hammer with your hosts, Jonny, Tom, & Tadeo, three American expats recording from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Brought to you by One Eleven Entertainment.

The Velvet Hammer Episode 15: Wine starts us off this week with a quick discussion of Argentine wine serving culture, this being the land of luscious Malbecs and crisp Torrontés. That quickly segues to the shocking news that the University of Buenos Aires has seen such massive cuts to their budget that they can’t keep operating. While this seems counter to president Milei’s push for education, his government did give a discount to private school families, easing their burden. In the north, corn crop forecasts were decreased yet again amid a disease spreading by leafhoppers while ministers rush to approve new pesticides. Then weather shuts down Dubai airport, spurring us to an overview of the most popular in the world and comparing them to trains. Moving on, during the economic crisis, Argentina buys new fighter jets, HSBC bank sold its business here, but Stellantis invests in solar energy. And the central bank announced its finally printing new bills so you no longer need a wheelbarrow just to buy dinner. Coming every Thursday, this is The Velvet Hammer with your hosts, Jonny, Tom, & Tadeo, three American expats recording from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Brought to you by One Eleven Entertainment.

The Velvet Hammer Episode 14: This week begins with an anecdote about college parties in a US private university that morphed into talking about drinking and driving law. In some states you could drive with a beer in hand? While on travel, we shared a little of what we know about the Argentine train system, bringing in news from our friend who works there. Transitioning to politics, we wonder what’s in store for the people in poverty here as winter comes, although Milei’s austerity measures are popular with the rich – many can’t afford warm clothing, or heating for their homes. Meanwhile, JP Morgan Argentina says the country will have access to capital markets soon, maybe that changes something? And as California increases minimum wage, does that mean fast food chains are finally going to go full robotic? Just before predictions, we marvel at Taiwan’s buildings still standing at terrifying angles after an earthquake tragically stuck the country. Coming every Thursday, this is The Velvet Hammer with your hosts, Jonny, Tom, & Tadeo, three American expats recording from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Brought to you by One Eleven Entertainment.

The Velvet Hammer Episode 13: This week begins with the shocking news that Argentine president Milei laid off 70,000 government employees with only three days notice. As that reverberates through the country, retirees are suffering with minimum pension payments amid increasing inflation – even as Milei devalues the currency yet again. But amidst the turmoil, the country posted another fiscal & trade surplus and even went shopping for F-16 fighter jets. Are they preparing for war? Not sure, but Columbia just ejected Argentina’s diplomats from their embassy. And winter’s coming quickly while heating prices increase in reaction to the elimination of subsidies for heating gas. In US news, we cover the bridge collapse and realize there were two more this year alone. Looking to the election, we wonder who’s going to be coming to the forefront with 7 months left and polarizing ideas. Coming every Thursday, this is The Velvet Hammer with your hosts, Jonny, Tom, & Tadeo, three American expats recording from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Brought to you by One Eleven Entertainment.

The Velvet Hammer Episode 12: We get off to a quirky start this week by sharing the nuances of mate tea drinking culture in Argentina. It’s an acquired taste, but definitely worth the effort for expats. In response to US president Biden’s poor performance at a latino vote rally, we discuss the effect we as expats have on Argentina. We end up agreeing we’re worthy ambassadors, embracing the country with open arms. After Milei’s first 100 days, we take a quick update: with inflation slowing, poverty is still on the rise, the people don’t think their politicians are helping, and winter is just around the corner. We move to our worries about American politics and why there’s no other options – people are even voting for candidates that aren’t on the ballots. We imagine what a war would look like if it comes to that, but quickly move to some good news. In a national forest in Argentina, endangered jaguars have finally had cubs and are sparking hope for the species that almost went extinct. Coming every Thursday, this is The Velvet Hammer with your hosts, Jonny, Tom, & Tadeo, three American expats recording from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Brought to you by One Eleven Entertainment.

The Velvet Hammer Episode 11: You’re joining us this week after a massive deluge swamped the city with water in record-breaking storms. After we get over the storm, we consider what has happened to the State of the Union Address: why is it more of a campaign speech than checkup on the country? We wonder about the wars going on and whether they’re going to spread to South America. There’s a heated discussion about term limits and why politicians stick around so long the youth have no opportunity to lead the country. In Argentina news, the country’s dollar purchases have hit a record high of over 10 billion in the reserve, helping stem catastrophically high inflation. In international news, we wonder what’s happening in Haiti and how they’re similar to “patriots” in the US. Are they the same? Coming every Thursday, this is The Velvet Hammer with your hosts, Jonny, Tom, & Tadeo, three American expats recording from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Brought to you by One Eleven Entertainment.

The Velvet Hammer Episode 10: We begin this week with a celebration of the D-Line subway returning to service. There was significant construction, now finished, so if you’re traveling, the main line is ready for the commute. In other news, Argentina is considering reinstating mandatory military service for young people. Also, Milei’s currency devaluations close the gap in the black market exchange. We recall celebrity death match from TV and wonder what that would be like in our congressional chambers; while considering the state of the union address and whether the president is capable of it. In the north of the country, there’s crack downs on drug trafficking and human rights organizations respond to the treatment of prisoners. We close with more environmental damage being done in the Paraná river as developers seek to make it the “Miami of the South.” Coming every Thursday, this is The Velvet Hammer with your hosts, Jonny, Tom, & Tadeo, three American expats recording from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Brought to you by One Eleven Entertainment.

The Velvet Hammer Episode 9: This week, we jump into a convo about why many politicians seem to be so unfit for the job amidst their health problems. And why are so many people voting or considering themselves “uncommitted” in recent polls? In Argentina, soup kitchens are getting slammed in the wake of Milei’s shock therapy and the head of the “welfare” ministry seems to refuse to give government support to those in need, especially those that can’t afford food. Then we respond to the air transport union strike and consider that students get an extra week of vacation because teachers go on strike next. We get shocked by the number of rich people getting subsidies here–like for boats? Plus, provinces are fighting back against Milei for not receiving their subsidies–even going as far as threats to cut off energy production to the capital. In environmental news, fires are burning up Texas and Kentucky, and we’re seeing a food shortage on the horizon… Coming every Thursday, this is The Velvet Hammer with your hosts, Jonny, Tom, & Tadeo, three American expats recording from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Brought to you by One Eleven Entertainment.

The Velvet Hammer Episode 8: This week starts with a deep dive into who actually brews the beers we drink around the world – and it turns out to be one giant corporation! We quickly cover Argentine happenings, one of which being another strike – this time all the trains in the country stopped. Being emigrants, we had something to say about the US immigration “problem” and the practice of bussing immigrants to other states. Eventually we have a chat about affirmative action and how it lowered the ranking of a US high school because…there were too many Asians? Meanwhile in Argentina, the teachers are preparing to strike over wages and award students an extra week of summer vacation. Moving on, we discuss China’s deflation and youth unemployment and associate that to their swath of lowered tariffs here in the country. Oh, and Argentina was ranked 2024’s ultimate luxury vacation destination, so we’re on the up & up! Coming every Thursday, this is The Velvet Hammer with your hosts, Jonny, Tom, & Tadeo, three American expats recording from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Brought to you by One Eleven Entertainment.

The Velvet Hammer Episode 7: We’re back this week starting with a quick look at Argentine president Milei’s new policies. The tough austerity measures are being praised by many other countries, including the USA, and even other economics professors in South America. We look at the other side of the arguments, though, finding that many of the most in need are suffering and many can’t afford food. Next is a hilarious bit about the meaning of the Spanish word, “carne,” and what that means about the empanadas we eat. We cover Argentine traffic and the dangers of biking in the city, more bus fare increases, the Buenos Aires party life and more. And we get pretty worked up over states charging people for their public defenders and destroying lives for something “constitutional.” Coming every Thursday, this is The Velvet Hammer with your hosts, Jonny, Tom, & Tadeo, three American expats recording from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Brought to you by One Eleven Entertainment.

The Velvet Hammer Episode 6: We barely made it to the studio this week after an enormous storm hit the city and left streets surging with rivers of water. With storm drains overflowing, it was akin to the atmospheric river over California. In expat news, we discuss the local nickname for US citizens, “yankees” from “yankeelandia” before an update about Milei’s omnibus law and his visit to Israel. With a jump back to the USA, we review some of the voting results but get bored and share some of our favorite types of beer. After quick coverage of another university free-speech scandal, we celebrate South America’s first architectural award of its type. For those thinking about visiting, we cover renting a new apartment in the city and cheer Tom on with his search. Coming every Thursday, this is The Velvet Hammer with your hosts, Jonny, Tom, & Tadeo, three American expats recording from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Brought to you by One Eleven Entertainment.

The Velvet Hammer Episode 5: This week we’re obviously missing the USA! After some expat news info, we spent most of the episode reminiscing about our lives in the states. During the sweltering Buenos Aires heatwave, we consider the need for water tanks above buildings in the city and wonder if they’re made of asbestos. There’s an update about the omnibus going through Argentine congress, the percussion bombs during the debate, and remember watching C-SPAN in our youth. Then, our humorous commentary on the unsubstantiated claim of aliens in Miami. We recall eating alligator in Florida, mention a Nutria (or Coypu) invasion in Argentina, and remember how friendly some bikers are despite their reputation. To close, we give some tips for visiting South America, including the need to learn Spanish. Coming every Thursday, this is The Velvet Hammer with your hosts, Jonny, Tom, & Tadeo, three American expats recording from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Brought to you by One Eleven Entertainment.

The Velvet Hammer Episode 4: [sensitive content warning] This week after a small change in libations, we discuss a country-wide protest in Argentina against the new president’s sweeping austerity measures. We break it down further analyzing the elimination of public transit subsidies which massively increases the cost of getting to and from work (almost 3x)! The worst topic? Pumping fresh water aquifers into the sewers as a means of setting a foundation for new building constructions–when there’s so many areas worldwide in drought! Or even worse? We complain about the plight of black people and the prison system in the US. Coming every Thursday, this is The Velvet Hammer with your hosts, Jonny, Tom, & Tadeo, three American expats recording from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Brought to you by One Eleven Entertainment.

The Velvet Hammer Episode 3: On this third episode we open with news about new measures being taken in Argentina to improve the economy. We cover China’s new tariff rates to increase exports and how that might affect our life. We take a spot of inspiration from wild elephant life and their similarity to humans. There’s a bit about the harmful chemical DDT and its availability here in Buenos Aires, and we share our experience with the Argentinian custom of “merienda” and their curious dinner timing. Coming every Thursday, this is The Velvet Hammer with your hosts, Jonny, Tom, & Tadeo, three American expats recording from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Brought to you by One Eleven Entertainment.

The Velvet Hammer Episode 2: Thank you everyone who tuned in with us for the first episode and we’re back with more. This week we respond to the final GOP debate and make fun of the whole process. And shock ourselves with Trump’s last day of testimony. We share some local info about trips from Buenos Aires to Colonia, Uruguay. While on local topics, we gross ourselves out about the mosquito problem, but land happily on local theatre. We cover local politics and American imports (or lack thereof) and offend with some torrid 1920s jokes we’d never heard before. Coming every Thursday, this is The Velvet Hammer with your hosts, Jonny, Tom, & Tadeo, three American expats recording from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Brought to you by One Eleven Entertainment.

The Velvet Hammer Episode 1: welcome to the first ever episode of The Velvet Hammer. In this pilot, we open with world news and lifestyle as expats living in Buenos Aires, Argentina. We gripe about the mosquitos swarming the city and a nuclear option scientists are using to combat them. We comment about the local policies of new president Milei and the effect he's having on the local economy. We shamelessly plug a local beer and make some predictions for the coming year. Coming every Thursday, this is the Velvet Hammer with your hosts, Jonny, Tom, & Tadeo, three American expats recording from Buenos Aires, Argentina.